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Museum · Caiena, Caiena
Musée Alexandre-Franconie
A departmental museum housed in a 19th-century Creole mansion facing Place des Palmistes, with collections of natural history, Indigenous archaeology and the history of Guiana, including paintings by a former convict from the bagne.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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About Musée Alexandre-Franconie
The Musée Alexandre-Franconie is the departmental museum of French Guiana and occupies the Franconie family mansion, built between 1824 and 1842 facing the Place des Palmistes. The building, a listed historical monument, has a timber frame with bricks between the studs, a U-shaped plan around a small inner garden and the typical verandas of Caiena's creole houses. The family sold it to the local administration in 1885, and the museum was established in 1901.
The collections cover the nature and history of Guiana. There are animals and plants from the forest, minerals and a collection of about 4,000 insects assembled by Father Yves Barbotin. In archaeology, the funerary urns of the Aristé culture, found in Ouanary in eastern Guiana, stand out.
In the history section, the museum holds paintings by Francis Lagrange, the Flag, a convict from the bagne who depicted life in Guiana's prisons. There are also ship models, everyday objects and pieces from the colonial period.
The mansion is small and can be seen in a short time, and fits well into a walking tour of the Place des Palmistes. Opening hours and which rooms are open may change; check before you go.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
About 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Best time
In the hottest part of the day, between the morning visit to the market and the climb up Forte Cépérou late in the afternoon.
How to get there
It is located on avenue du Général-de-Gaulle, number 1, on one edge of the Place des Palmistes, in central Caiena.
Tip
Check beforehand whether the museum is open and which rooms are on display. Note the paintings by Francis Lagrange: they help to understand the ruins you will see on the Ilhas da Salvação and in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Musée Alexandre-Franconie
What is in the Museu Alexandre-Franconie?
Natural history of Guiana, with insects, animals and minerals; indigenous archaeology, with the Aristé funerary urns; and history, with ship models and paintings by the former convict Francis Lagrange.
Who was Francis Lagrange?
A French painter sentenced to the Guiana penal colony, known as Flag, who depicted life in the prisons. His paintings are also in the chapel of Île Royale, in the Ilhas da Salvação.
Is the museum building old?
Yes. It's the Creole mansion of the Franconie family, built between 1824 and 1842, a historic monument. The museum has been operating there since 1901.
Is the museum open?
Opening hours and the availability of galleries may change. Check before you go.